ISLAMABAD, May 3 (APP):President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday urged all the stakeholders to find an ‘out of the box solution’ to educate and impart skills to about 23 million out-of-school children in the country without delving into ‘bricks and mortar’ ventures.
Speaking in the ‘Education Excellence Recognition’ ceremony arranged by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said the number of out-of-school children was a matter of disconcerting for him.
The UNISCEF, in its latest report about the out-of-school children after the recent floods, had placed the figures at 27 million, he said, adding by going through formal methods of enrolling them and constructing schools would take time.
“The world is moving at a fast pace with bewildering developments in the latest knowledge,” he added.
The president said the government wanted the spread of the latest science and technology throughout the fabric of society with new methods of education and techniques, but the other stakeholders like the industrialists and businessmen should also come forward to play their part in that regard.
He said the issue of the number of out-of-school children posed a question mark and everyone should find a quick and out-of-the-box solution.
The president noted that the country was not quick to jump onto the bandwagon of the latest revolutions in science and technology and stressed upon adoption of a holistic approach to the realities by accelerating the pace of changes to match the rest of the world.
He said education was a subject which was now devolved to the provinces, and all the provinces were spending about 20 to 28 per cent of their budget on the sector.
In some of the neighbouring countries, the ratio of school attending children stood between 98 to 100 percent but in Pakistan, it was 68 percent, he added.
The president said it was also a law of nature that those nations had excelled in different fields, which had the quest for new and innovative ideas.
He also stressed on enhancing the number of students at the higher education level and regretted that the formal attitude in that regard should be discarded.
Sharing examples, he said in Karachi, about 60,000 students appeared at the FSc level but only 7,000 students could make it to the higher-level education.
In the neighbouring countries, the ratio of students seeking higher education reached 25-26 percent, he added.
The president also highlighted the significance of the single national curriculum.
He said tools and gadgets were available and it was the need of the hour that they must utilize them to equip their future generations with skills and the latest education, besides imparting the core social values.
The president said consultation process, trade, respect and identity were some of the ingredients upon which an edifice of the state was erected.
He said nations were built upon their national characters.
He also emphasized upon documentation of the economy to bring changes through the adoption of the latest tools, adding the country possessed immense potential and the businessmen, traders and industrialists could play a vital role in that regard by harnessing the young talent.
The president reiterated that the issue of audio and video leaks was irrelevant as the same amounted to a breach of privacy and termed them ‘Gheebat’ (backbiting).
Speaking on the occasion, Waqas Bin Mahmud, Chairman of Excellence Awards, RCCI President Saqib Rafique and Sohail Altaf, group leader, highlighted contributions of the RCCI in pursuance of different initiatives in education, health and youth and women empowerment.
They informed that the RCCI had signed about 27 MoUs (memorandums of understanding) with different universities to groom students as job creators.
They stressed upon enhancement of the education budget as the current allocation below 2 percent of the total GDP was not enough and said that policy continuity was necessary for success.
Earlier, the president gave away shields and awards in recognition of services in the education sector to different personalities and institutions
